more universal access

Universal Internet access: does it make sense?

a few additional, worthwhile comments to the Charles Kenny debate on Universal access that I've posted about here and here.

This time from the Development Gateway.

It's not that this isn't a worthwhile debate, just that everyone seems to agree that Universal Access in itself just isn't a realistic goal. I mean we can argue for ages on whether it's a virtuous or correct goal, but realistic in our lifetimes?

And everyone, bar perhaps the marketing engines of certain large NGO's, seem to agree on this premise: That it's more about getting the right type of Internet access to the right people and projects, than getting broadband to every last family on earth.
So let's discuss how to select the right people and projects, and how to deploy the right solutions with the right business models.

And as some people have noted recently, one of the problems with all these ICT for development projects is that we don't know enough. We need to come up with sources of funding for small, innovative Internet projects and the research that is required to research them in context....

Just my 5 cents.

[via riptari